Miami Heat star wing Jimmy Butler was absent for shootaround on Friday for the same undisclosed personal reason that caused him to miss practice the day before. However, he is expected to be present for the win-or-go-home NBA Play-In Tournament game versus the Chicago Bulls, as reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
And now the alarms will sound. Butler struggled in Wednesday's mini-upset loss to the Atlanta Hawks, shooting just 6-for-19 from the field and doing most of his damage from the free throw line. It was an uncharacteristic night for one of the NBA's premier big-game players. The team will need him to regain that form if they want to avoid a cataclysmic end to their 2022-23 season.
Unfortunately, whatever Butler is dealing with could take precedence over a basketball game and divide his attention. Heat fans have grown attached to No. 22 during his tenure in South Beach and will surely hope everything is alright. His expected participation vs. the Bulls is a good first sign.
Jimmy Butler is obviously the focal point of the offense, but it will take a collective effort from Miami to bounce back from its last unsuccessful effort. The team suffered a bit of an identity crisis, getting pounded on the glass and inside the paint. Erik Spoelstra's group is rarely outworked to the degree they were against the Hawks.
Chicago is not short on firepower, boasting a very formidable trio in DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic, but a good defensive effort can stall them as the regular season showed.
No one knows what is going on with Butler, or if his Play-In struggles are related to it, but expect a rabid and desperate atmosphere to pervade the Kaseya Center Friday night all the same.
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